This article analyzes the direct democracy mechanisms activated in middle of socioenvironmental conflicts in Latin America. It demonstrates that these mechanisms are playing a fundamental role, becoming an important ... [+]

This article analyzes the direct democracy mechanisms activated in middle of socioenvironmental conflicts in Latin America. It demonstrates that these mechanisms are playing a fundamental role, becoming an important resource for mobilization and collective action «from below», while central governments «from above» have tried to limit the far reaching or prohibit the implementation of that, in view of that these mechanisms puts in the public debate the consequences of the economic model aimed at extractivist appropriation of natural resources. [-]